


duel links

by ruruka



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Post canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-10
Updated: 2019-06-10
Packaged: 2020-04-24 07:22:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,407
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19168507
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ruruka/pseuds/ruruka
Summary: mokuba shows off kaibacorp’s latest venture.





	duel links

Twenty five celsius hardly feels herself on a first morning’s breath. That’s a _beautiful day, beautiful day!_ to the most gung-ho, a thought of how much they’ll sweat in motion from the most middleman, and by only the most debonair tongue can it be questioned as to what the point of the outdoors is at all.

(The mention of competition- that’s all).

As steps reach the mountains of the front porch concrete, mindsets do not belong to any one proper, rather an amalgamation of every thought desire wisdom together, palm to throat.

“ _Jesus,_ it’s hot as balls out there.”

To condition so much space as an entire estate could quite possibly be the route of climate change, though in the very second, the heat gripping the back of Yuugi’s neck does not care, nor does Jounouchi and his gasping proclamation of just _exactly_ how hot this afternoon is, all but collapsing forward into the sofa cushions to bury his dripping forehead. The third of them glares, never the keenest to allow dogs on his furniture, yet before he’s the chance to raise a quip or fist, the interruption of sock heels slipping up before them all is just sweet enough to cool it. “Hey!”

“Oh, Mokuba!” Yuugi is sudden to blink, tipping his nose forward toward the littlest one who’s so recently been testing his eye level. Inhaling, the soft pink of his mouth goes on, “You’re home already?”

Sunlight bleeds against the fine hardwood. “Mhm,” Mokuba nods beside his thin smile. “Kenichi’s mom dropped me off a little while ago. And we- _gh!”_ Midsentence, difficulty borders the continuing once fingers have reached out to pinch the tip of his tongue, pulling it forth to display its artificial green hue in that bright seasoned light. “And we stopped at the convenience store, and I only got a Ring Pop- I didn’t spoil my dinner, I promise!”

It leaves him in a muffled rush. Yuugi glances in wet concern between the set of siblings, the youngest fitting his parts back in their places with a short gag, and the eldest, satisfied, wiping his fingers off on the hip of his own coat.

Kaiba certainly has mannerisms, Yuugi thinks, relaxing himself to paw forward toward the comatose body thrown upon the white velvet couch.

“Where were you guys, anyway?” Mokuba recovers plainly to say, mirroring Yuugi’s steps to stand on the coffee table’s second side, watching the pair placed before him. Off an eye’s corner, another shadow closes into arms crossed on the chest, a flare of jacket fabric and haughty observation.

Marionette on a string, the interrogation draws Jounouchi up limb by limb until he’s sitting well and neat in one place, righted enough to yank the cell phone from his pocket and thrust it high into the air. “I’ll tell ya where I was- becoming the world’s greatest Pokémon champion while your brother ate my ass, that’s where! ...W-Wait, that didn’t come out right. Lemme try again. Kaiba sucks, Jounouchi rules!”

Seemingly it has flooded in one harsh breath, one he reclaims to huff out afterward. The chance belongs to the persecuted then, in that quick beat of silence to flick the stray bang from the dark of his eyes and murmur out, “It almost makes me laugh how pathetic it is to watch you celebrate such a worthless victory.”

“Hah? Whatcha say, misery man?” mocks the hand cupping Jounouchi’s ear. “‘Cause I could swear I heard you say, Team Instinct is the best.”

“Not on your paltry life,” Kaiba says back, though in greater vigor does Mokuba interject with his own thought- “Instinct is nowhere near as good as Team Valor! But Mystic is pretty awesome, too. Seto would never pick a lame team.”

Somewhere, Yuugi deciphers in a glance over, pride gleams in Kaiba’s flat expression.

“Dream on, Mokuba,” Jounouchi barks, leaning back to stretch his arms across the sofa back. Dark circles outline the gap of each underarm. “As if any of those cruddy teams could ever beat me and my CP 1800 Magmar.”

“I’ll bet Yuugi could!”

Swift, Jounouchi’s ego implodes on itself, head dropping back before snapping up enough to be fanned by one hand. Mokuba bleats laughter past his grin, one that lifts Yuugi a finger to scratch at a cheek.

“Ah, actually, I don’t play,” sheepishly wrings from his voice. “I only went along today for...uh, moral support.”

 _Mediation_ does not quite make it out. He digresses.

In Mokuba’s face, cheer gives its seat up for confusion, tartness. “Wait, you mean you really don’t play Pokémon Go? But it’s been the most popular mobile game for two consecutive summers!”

Yuugi laughs to himself. In the soft sunlight, he replicates a perfect angel in head to toe black leather and guyliner. “I’m more into the console games, to be honest. And it wouldn’t look very good for me if some tabloid caught the face of Duel Monsters supporting its top rival franchise.”

“Right, that’s why I keep it under wraps,” Jounouchi insists in a shaky laugh, pongs his pupils around the rest of the room in a cough. Mokuba rests a hand to his chin whilst a bottom lip pout finds him. His shoulders look almost broad standing there, jaw almost sharp, and Yuugi feels a millennia old to think on the next month that will garner his vicarious baby brother’s fifteenth birthday already. A hand rubs upon the back of his neck. He blinks over to where Kaiba is busied in his phone screen, reading all over his repulsed face that he’s attending to the business put on hold during the afternoon excursion. In one glance forward again, Yuugi’s caught half guardless to see the sketch of Mokuba bearing a menacingly mischievous look.

“Well, if you don’t like that game, I think I have an even better one for you.” Through speaking, he’s lifted a cell phone from his pocket, one so state of the art it puts he and Jounouchi’s beat up old models to shame. Still, they’re bothered not to watch Mokuba tap away a hot second before the screen is flipped toward them, and from its speakers a loud lighting shout; _DUEEEL LINKS!_

“Duel Links?” Jounouchi pinches his nose high. “The hell’s that? Some kinda new duel disk app?”

Attention seems to float from that far corner beyond them at the new commotion. Kaiba could be a dozen steps closer to the living room sofa, or it could just be Yuugi’s imagination.

“It’s what’s gonna outshine that rival franchise you were talking about,” Mokuba grins again. “It’s the most accurate and functional virtual dueling platform, all right in the palm of your hand. It’s only in its beta version now, so it hasn’t been released to the public yet, but I get early access, being on KaibaCorp’s executive product testing team and all.”

“Wait, _what_ did you just say?” All but physically Jounouchi is a slobbering hound, gawking and gazing at the screen ahead. “You mean to tell me _Kaiba_ made this?”

“You never told us anything about this,” Yuugi says, nearly as aghast as the other. A scan over yonder reveals Kaiba still with his arms folded, still with his eyes dark, blank cream white until a sneer lifts his top lip.

“I’m allowed to do things without you breathing down my neck the entire time.” In a flick, a swish, he’s facing oppositely, dropping steps further toward the staircase and up its entry. “I’m going to shower. Don’t be in my living room when I get back.”

“Wow, these graphics look pretty cool,” Jounouchi replies, focus locked on the screen dangled before him. Ire clicks from Kaiba’s teeth in a stomp up the remaining stairs.

The phone transfers hands, Mokuba kneeling down on the carpet framing the glass top coffee table. “You can check it out on here while I install it on Yuugi’s phone. Then we can really try it out by dueling each other.”

“Mm,” agrees Yuugi’s smiling nod, leaning toward the deck box hooked on a belt to slip his device from it, handing it off to the big executive in his mismatched socks and cotton tee shirt.

“Whoa, check it out, Yuugi, there’s that Haga freakshow. And Pegasus, too. Kaiba actually put real people in his game? That’s a little creepy, if  you ask me.”

“Good thing we didn’t ask you,” Mokuba answers back, attention strict to the task ahead of him whilst lilting on, “Scroll through the Duel Gate. That’s the big blue circle on the main screen. I think it might change your tune.”

Tilting the jaw, Jounouchi pops silence and does as instructed, flipping through the areas of the map before finding the desired click. Several seconds pass in quiet shifting until a gargled yelp throws Jounouchi’s eyebrows to his scalp.

“That’s _me!_ Kaiba put _me_ in his game?!” Within moments, the round slack of his mouth twitches into a delectable beam. “Now you’re talking. Get the real famous duelists on here to attract people’s attention. I get the angle now. Smart advertising tactic.”

Just vaguely, Yuugi catches Mokuba’s eye roll, and cannot help admiring what a clone has been created.

He shifts his gaze back forward to where the other’s thumb dances about. With one tap, the selection is made, bringing forth the uncanny mug of Jounouchi Katsuya prepared to face any challenger.

 _So you wanna duel me, huh?,_ reads the text that scrawls over his speech box. _Okay. It’ll be an effortless win for you. I couldn’t duel my way out of a paper bag. Hahahaha._

“GH-! _Kaiba,_ that son of a-!” His scarlet face growls. “I would never say any of that!”

He tosses the phone without ceremony toward Yuugi’s waiting hands, folding in on himself to burn off the smolder. Beside him, Yuugi’s mouth rests pursed, tightens further once he scrolls enough to find his own visage as an option.

 _Oh, a duel?,_ he reads over the sprite of Mutou Yuugi staring back at him. _I’m sorry, you have to be at least four feet tall to play this game. I’m afraid I can’t duel you._

“Like I said, it’s just the beta version,” Mokuba winces, never meeting their wide leers. “Seto sort of...exercised his creative freedom. It’ll all be changed before the official release. Actually, he wanted to know if you guys would be interested in voice acting yourselves for it eventually, too.”

“You can count me out,” Jounouchi spits on an instant. His glower rests straight forward anew. “I ain’t helping Kaiba out with his stupid game if this is how he’s gonna treat me on it. Jounouchi Katsuya is a man of honor!”

“Ah, Jou,” gently creeps Yuugi’s tone beside him. “I think it would be better to read our own lines and make sure we approve of them than let Kaiba keep on...exercising his freedom.”

Then Jounouchi says something. Or perhaps it’s Mokuba, or no one at all, but Yuugi knows for certain he can hear beach tides in his ears. Filling them. Drowning him, just a bit.

 _I accept your challenge_ , types across the little pocket sized graphic of The Other Yuugi. _You’re no match for my deck. Unless you’re Kaiba, of course. He’s the true King of Games._

Drowning, no, just floating on the surface face down, like a cadaver vacationing in clear cobalt Jamaican waters.

“Okay, it’s all done downloading,” cuts into him before any dreams can spiral their first lick of mist on his mind. Yuugi blinks, scanning the screen of his phone Mokuba shows off, all set as promised with the loading page of the application. “But you have to swear not to tell anyone else about this before its release. You’re in on exclusive KaibaCorp content, don’t blow our trust.”

“Right, I’d never,” says the hand on Yuugi’s heart as he accepts the device back with his other. Yet, in his half daze, he’s only just noted the way Mokuba’s piercing gray eyes do not fall upon him but rather the one to his side.

Jounouchi scratches a finger in an ear. “Huh? Me?” Nonchalantly, he brings his hands forward to wave off the notion. “You know me, I’m no loud mouth.”

“Those two phrases contradict one another…” Mokuba mutters tautly, then shakes his hair out behind him to better readjust. Focus pokes on Yuugi next. “Alright, are you ready? Let’s duel!”

“Hang on,” he breathes, smirk softly awkward as he fiddles with the game. “Um, don’t I need cards first? I don’t really know how to work this yet.”

With his own cell phone passed back to him, Mokuba buries himself in it, pointing one finger upward as he works. “There’s going to be a gacha system, like buying card packs in real life. But it isn’t completely done yet, so I just go in and mess around with the random number generator to get what I want.” Both hands return to his device to flick around it. “For you, I installed the default Yuugi deck Seto put together for the game. I want you to use it, and tell me what you think. Y’know, if it’s inaccurate, or too powerful, or anything like that.”

Directions catch up to his brain out of sync with fidgeting hands, but in a shake, he’s himself again, Jounouchi leaning over one shoulder to stare after every movement. Too suddenly, he understands Kaiba’s _breathing down the neck_ comment.

“I set up a duel room, just click on the PVP Arena.” Mokuba presses forward to guide him, tapping too quickly for either of the others to comprehend before he’s back on his haunches and proclaiming, “Okay, it’s starting now. Hah, I can’t believe I get to duel Yuugi, this is too awesome!”

No pressure. Yuugi smiles tightly.

Reflecting in his irises shines his own virtual self, as well as that of the one poised across from him, snickering like mad.

“You’re in the game, too, Mokuba?” Jounouchi marvels, watching the coin flip that appoints Yuugi to go first, and to the hand of familiar cards that follow. “Oh, that’s a good first hand, Yuug’. You got him.”

With one finger, Yuugi taps the screen idly, planning every silent move, then drags a monster card face down to the front row. “There’s only three of each zone, huh?”

“Yup,” Mokuba says, watching a card be laid in Yuugi’s backrow before the turn changes over to him. “Seto made it that way to cut down on the length of each duel. He calls it Speed Dueling. He even talked to Pegasus about making physical game mats and cards for it once the game releases.”

It spins in him a moment, but Jounouchi eventually pipes, “Uhhh, can’t you just use regular Duel Monsters cards, and play with three zones, instead of buying all new stuff for it?”

“People will buy _anything_ with my brother’s face on it,” Mokuba shrugs back, clicking his turn finished and glancing forward to await his opponent’s next move.

Though several features elude him a moment, Yuugi thinks it a remarkable replica of the real game in its mechanics and card graphics. Watching his monsters glow across the screen delights him perhaps even more than the years of hologram dueling right before his eyes. His Gemini Elves decimate an opposing Niwatori once they’re summoned beside his first set card, and from there he ends his turn quietly.

A congratulation from beside him snaps silent once they’re both flooded in the fear of unknowing- equally, too, ribbed with disturb to hear Mokuba and his virtual twin giggling in tandem to each other.

“That can’t be good,” Jounouchi mutters, watching as the phone flashes so quickly with cards being played and transferring to the graveyard it spins them dizzy. The zenith to the turn is a fullscreen painting of Mokuba pointing forth and declaring loudly his next summoned monster.

“Here’s a monster to snack on, or better yet, snack on you!” mimics the real life version, as if he’d rehearsed the line a thousand times before recording it for the game’s audio track. “Hungry Burger!”

On the second side of the field, the monster appears, dripping in animosity and ketchup.

“That _really_ can’t be good,” repeats beside him again once a card materializes in Mokuba’s spellzone, and his baby burger ripples up to 3500 attack points.

“That’s Ritual Weapon for you,” Mokuba laughs. “Hmm...I’ll end my turn without attacking, though. I know you’re still getting used to the game.”

In his heart head and heels, Yuugi thanks the fuck out of that decision.

The continuing turns, he’s hardly so fortunate. But he’s tough. He’s fine. The deck Kaiba pieced together for him proves itself worthy, though he’d like better to be able to play more than face down four stars sometime soon. His expression strains itself comically. Jounouchi covers his eyes with a forearm, falling backward against the cushioning behind him. Always the dramatic.

“Oh,” Yuugi says suddenly, blinking at the newest draw. In a flash, he’s smirking, all too deep a crimson to be his own form, yet no one else could he ever think to be. With an index finger, he flicks forward the card freshly pulled, following the on screen prompts that trade his two face down monsters for an all new one.

It surprises him, the little animation that comes forward, yet he cannot say it doesn’t amuse him to watch. _Gandora, the Dragon of Destruction!_ reads atop his avatar, like a mighty battle cry. A cut scene follows, one Kaiba certainly spared no expense to have created. Yuugi admires the short clip of his most prized creature clawing its way to life, displaying its glory, name, and stars before returning to normal gameplay on the field.

“Oh, yeah, baby, that’s what I’m talking about!” whoops Jounouchi, recovered in a flash to grin over his shoulder again. Yuugi glances through his hand, laying a trio of spells and traps he’s no use for aside from feeding his dragon’s power.

“I activate Gandora’s special ability- Boundless Giga Rays!” Voice acting may be his calling afterall. Regardless, he swipes touch down over the button to follow through with his proclamation, watching as his beast explodes with rays of light, destroying every other card on the field and- and itself.

Yuugi stares at the empty playing field.

He blinks.

“H-Huh?” His faze desperately scans the screen, flitting over toward his newly filled graveyard to select the card in mind.

_[DRAGON / EFFECT]_ _This card cannot be Special Summoned. During your Main Phase, you can pay half your Life Points to destroy, and remove from play, all other cards on the field, and send this card to the Graveyard immediately._

“Looks like you should have read more carefully,” stands the hairs up on his nape. Yuugi blinks rapidly, turning his nose up from the game to peer behind him for the source of the throaty arrogance. Kaiba wipes a towel monogrammed with a blue _KC_ in one corner along his damp hair. His ironed clothes stick impeccably to his body.

Jounouchi’s on his feet in an instant.

“Oh, sure, act like it’s Yuugi’s fault that you’re a cheating little sneak who changes up the rules of the game however he pleases!” A fist clenches up beside him as the two face each other. “How do you expect this stupid game of yours to go anywhere if you act like you’re a God, and nobody could ever be better than you?!”

Flatly, Kaiba looks at him, towel resting soft against his wideset shoulders.

“It isn’t acting.”

Yuugi thinks he can hear Jounouchi’s molars crunch.

“Well I’ll tell you something, King Shit, you can say buh-bye to using me in your game, and there’s no way in hell Yuugi’s gonna endorse anything _Kaiba_ brand ever again, and another thing-!”

“Psst, Yuugi,” catches his solemn attention back forward. Mokuba’s phone sits dormant on the coffee table, his own burning his palm. A glint kisses those indigo eyes. “Isono bought chocolate Papico. They’re hidden in the freezer. C’mon.”

It takes not a second wasted for the youngest to stand and shimmy his way toward the kitchen archway. Yuugi glances for the pair to the side, snarling jaws flaunting each other back forth, and decides upon lifting himself to follow. Shouting echoes still hallways away.

He’ll return to the moral supporting after some ice cream.

Much too hot today. How lovely.


End file.
